Fears ‘horrendous’ mountain of human waste could return following removal of bins

In June, three bright orange litter bins were installed in a lay-by on the A146, just outside Beccles.

The bins were part of a Suffolk Waste Partnership trial to reduce litter on the county’s trunk roads.

And the arrival of the bins came just months after Beccles Bombles, a local litter picking troupe, discovered a mountain of urine-filled bottles, used nappies and bags of human waste in the lay-by.

While they proved an instant success and curbed the amount of waste being dumped, the trial ended earlier this month and the bins have since been removed.

Waveney District councillor Caroline Topping, who leads the Beccles Bombles, believes the move could be disastrous.

She said: “It is a horrendous hotspot for human waste. Lorry drivers, caravans, fisherman or people who stop to eat their McDonald’s and look over the river all stop in there.

“Now there are just two bins which are overflowing. It’s going to cause litter to fall into the bushes.”

Before the bins were removed the area had undergone a complete transformation.

Mrs Topping added: “One of the Bombles went along to the area four weeks ago; they went around the whole area, including the quay and only got half a black bag of rubbish.

“At the end of the day the bins are being used. If they are not there we are going to get fly-tipping and littering.

The councillor fears the removal of the bins will also herald a return of the dumping of human waste in the area.

“There is not enough provision in my opinion. Lorry drivers pull in there, they are going to have to go somewhere, and if that is the normal thing; to use plastic bottles to take their fluids and plastic bags to take their solids – then they are going to have to get rid of them.”

A Suffolk Waste Partnership spokesman said: “Now that the project has finished the local boroughs and district councils are able to utilise the new bins in new locations if they feel this is appropriate.”